Over at the Tie The Knot headquarters we are in the full flow of wedding season and having a fabulous time! The planning process with our couples is usually 12-18 months which means by the time you do tie the knot (put intended) we are super invested in all the beautiful details of your day, not only the catering element and are more than happy to offer advice and tips, if needed, on other aspects from suppliers we work with to extra ways to make your table set ups pop! It is such a pleasure to us to continue learning and growing with our couples and having the opportunity to develop new menus and work in new venues that fit with your perfect day!
We have had the wonderful opportunity recently to work in a couple of stunning new venues. Firstly the unbelievably beautiful Little Thakeham based in Pulborough for Clair & Adair’s day. This ravishing grade ii listed building is nestled in the sprawling Sussex countryside with views of the South Downs. Coral pink flowers and accents complemented the wooden beams and grand dining hall perfectly. Little Thakeham has fantastic bedrooms, seats 70 guests and is really the perfect backdrop for those with grand, vintage visions. You can find more out about Little Thakeham here!
A little trip over to a few hidden gems of Sussex Nyman’s Gardens and Hyde Estate. These outdoors venues are perfect for adding a stunning dramatic backdrop to your day! Emma and Ian enjoyed canapes after their ceremony at the sunken gardens of Nyman’s and then indulged in hearty bbq food to a warm summer sunset in the beautiful woodlands of the Hyde Estate. A relaxed dining menu served on long olive wood boards worked perfectly out of a catering marquee ay Hyde, and what an environment to enjoy dinner in! You can find out more about both Nymans and Hyde here and here.
We’ve also had the pleasure of working at the kooky Hawthbush Farm in Hailsham for Boysie & Chloe’s wedding.
This laid back, very cool barn is owned by Gun Brewery and, as such, doesn’t have a preferred suppliers list. This is something that a lot of venues do choose to have in order to manage the suppliers in and out each year however Hawthbush and many others are opting to allow couples to use whichever suppliers they wish.
The benefit of this is that we, at TTK, have the brilliant opportunity to explore new venues, develop strong working relationships with their teams and learn new ways of working, not to mention ogling the stunning architecture and interiors!
There are, however, a lots of pros to preferred suppliers lists. Venues have a lot of ‘back stage’ work to do regarding their insurances, upkeep of the building, and of course, maintaining the high standards they hold. Having a list of regular suppliers means you can trust everyone who comes through the door to show it as much respect and love, and follow the rules as you do! We are a preferred supplier on a number of venue lists all over the home counties and we deem it an important and fun part of our jobs getting to know the teams behind the venues, support and show them off as best we can! On that note… you can find more out about our venues here!
Chloe & Boysie opted for a relaxed dining New Orleans inspired menu, an ode to the location Boysie proposed at! Sharing boards of hot BBQ smoky beef brisket and slow cooked pulled pork were served alongside Cajun baked salmon parcels, an array of corn & rustic breads, Head Chef Graham’s secret mac & cheese recipe and a sparkling selection of colourful, deep south inspired salads! It was important to Chloe & Boysie that their menu reflect not only a pivotal moment in their relationship but also their personalities. Bespoke menus can add not only add an extra layer of detail but can also reflect a theme or particular cuisine., Gorgeous vintage mis matched china and quirky canapes that included buttermilk chicken skewers and crab beignets completed the vibe for this lovely couple.
Finally our month of new venue adventures took us to bride Ellie’s gorgeous seafront Hove home for a glittering display of canapes and champagne! It had always been Ellie’s dream to have her wedding reception at home and we were only too happy to oblige! We worked carefully with Ellie to ensure her canape choices would work well being prepared in a domestic environment and that we could deliver our high standards of professional catering in an out of the norm situation. Both canapes and champagne went down a treat with the blissful cool sea breeze a welcome treat for hot chefs!
Creating a menu that incorporates your love of travelling or a particular passion for Mediterranean cuisine is part of what makes our jobs so exciting! We’ve recently enjoyed developing intensely delicious arancini balls for an Italian themed menu, French twists on British classics for couple taking their inspiration from the champagne region and even cocktail inspired desserts for Nikki & Chris’s wedding at the beautiful Cissbury Barns in May!
Whatever your vision for the day, Pippa and the team are here to help find the perfect menu fit for you in the venue of your dreams. Here are a a few handy tips for beginning to plan your perfect menu:
1. Work out your vision: Do you really want a Greek theme all the way through? Would you like a special nod to Grndma’s famous dessert? Being precise in your vision helps us work with your ideas to come up with something truly special.
2. Be realistic: Okay you may really want fillet steak but can your budget accommodate it? Tell us your hopes and visions and we will do our very besr to find a fit big on flavour and within your price range.
3. Event catering is not the same as restaurant catering. Feeding 100 guests all at the same time is a different style of catering to feeding smaller tables at a time and speed that suits the kitchen, All our menus are designed to deliver in the venues we work in and whilst we promise to always try and match your vision, if you’re getting married in a marquee it’s unlikely a beef wellington will work – it’s not about the capabilities of the team, it’s just about finding the right fit in the rest of your day.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask: Unless we know we can’t work with you to incorporate your ideas into the catering on your day so have a chat to Pippa in the early stages of your food planning and if we can personalise something, we always will.